Anxiety and another unknown stress-related illness which 26-year-old Felicien Izaturwanaho unexpectedly experienced during high school national exams, triggered his interest in knowing more about mental health.

Currently in the aviation industry, Izaturwanaho wants to pursue ‘Human Factors’, citing that it involves tackling mental health, in this case in aviation, to reduce the occurrence and impact of human error in aviation systems and improve human performance. For instance, a Human Factors’ specialist is trained to address issues like fatigue and work-related stress. 

"My interest in learning about human performance developed during the examination period in secondary school. In 2013, during the exams, I suffered anxiety and what I suspect was another stress-related illness. Unfortunately, it was not diagnosed by doctors, and no psychological tests were carried out when I went to the hospital,” he says.

Felicien Izaturwanaho during the presention of his research findings at a psychology conference in Boston, USA, in 2019.

After passing the national exams, he pursued Clinical Psychology at the University of Rwanda where he explored mental health issues. Clinical Psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness and behavioral problems. 

"I wanted to understand how anxiety or stress-related problems can influence human performance. I thought that if I understood this, I could also help shape the mental health system in post-Genocide Rwanda,” says Izaturwanaho who was born after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

At the university, he also led the Clinical Psychology Students’ Association in Rwanda (CPSAR).  "I led the association into becoming a mental health resource for Rwanda, in particular for the university community,” he says.

During Izaturwanaho’s undergraduate studies, he says he realised that there were few tests for psychological assessment in Rwanda, including those that measure anxiety problems in children and adolescents. That is when he thought about a psychological tool for psycho-diagnosis in hospitals, clinical settings, and research. 

This test was not going to be likely due to the limitations of an undergraduate thesis. But he had to do something.

"That’s why I decided to use an existing test to measure anxiety and related emotional disorder symptoms. I only validated the test on a Rwandan sample of individuals aged 8 to 17 at a certain school,” he says.

The 26-year-old is keen to contribute to safer aviation by focusing on human factors. Photos/Courtesy

The unique outcome of his study, he says, resulted in being invited to present the research in person at a major psychology conference in Boston, USA, in 2019.

The conference theme was "Trauma, Recovery, and Resilience: Charting a Course Forward.” His abstract was titled "Validation of the Screen for Children Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders for Use in Rwanda”, which he presented during a symposium titled "Identifying Mental Health Determinants in Rwandan Youth 25 Years Post-Genocide” at the conference.

Thanks to the experience, currently, the young graduate also volunteers at the University Rwanda-Centre for Mental Health as a research fellow. 

Entering the aviation industry

In 2018, Izaturwanaho says, he came into contact with the AviAssist Foundation, an independent, international, and impartial non-profit, championing the cause of aviation safety in Africa, and heard about the aviation mental health course they were planning in Rwanda. Then he managed to convince the university to add the course in 2018.

 "The course has been an impressive milestone in the aviation industry in Rwanda and for me personally. I have played an important role in developing cooperation between the University of Rwanda and the AviAssist Foundation,” Izaturwanaho says.

"Curiosity and chance resulted in me starting a career in safety within the aviation industry. Since 2019, I have been working for Africa’s first AviAssist Safety Promotion Centre (ASPC)-Rwanda,” he says.

He is currently coordinator at AviAssist Safety Promotion Centre (ASPC)-Rwanda. ASPC-Rwanda supports the aviation industry in safety promotion capacity in Rwanda and the region.

The centre focuses on learning, researching, and experiencing for the pursuit of excellence.

"Research demonstrates that pilots and other aviation personnel suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety. But pilots keep secret the information because of stigma and fear of losing their license,” he says.

According to reports, examples of planes that were deliberately crashed by pilots because of mental health issues are LAM Mozambique Flight 470 in 2013 and Germanwings Flight 9525 in 2015. Both crashes killed all passengers aboard.

Izaturwanaho’s background in psychology shows he is keen to make a contribution to safer aviation by focusing on human factors.

However, he says, he needs extensive support to realise that, and seeks financial support to be able to pursue a Master’s in Human Factors in Aviation at Coventry University in the UK. Out of over 21,000 Euros required to pursue the course, he has only about 3,000, saved from his training allowance in the past two years.

 "Therefore, I am fundraising through https://gogetfunding.com/felicienizaturwanaho/ so that I can be able to pursue the course. It is a two-year blended-learning course that will be delivered with the support of its overseas hub in Rwanda for Sub-Saharan Africa,” he says, adding, "I had to start in September last year but lacked financial means.” 

It is reported that there are few mental health or human factors experts in aviation in Africa, and so far, there is no such expert in Rwanda.

Izaturwanaho could be among the few young people in a unique position to serve the aviation industry in Rwanda.

"As a university, we feel it’s our responsibility to train and qualify engineers and scientists in the area of aeronautics and aerospace in the field of air traffic management, it’s a pipeline of skills that we lack in the country,” says Ignace Gatare, Principal of UR’s College of Science and Technology. This development will go with the introduction of human factors in aviation.

"These programmes are being designed to develop competent air transport professionals. For those professionals, a solid appreciation of safety and human factors is an important skill. This is where my studies will come in handy,” Izaturwanaho says. 

He has also attended training in Mental Health in Aviation, Human Factors in Aviation and Aviation Leadership Development in Rwanda, Fundamentals in Aviation Law by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Crew Resources Management in Kenya, and Human Factors and Safety at the Aviation Academy of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, among others.

Tom Kok, AviAssist director, says that Rwanda is housing Africa’s first aviation safety promotion centre, taking a lead role in aviation safety promotion, adding that there is a need for trained people in the sector.

"Improving safety means addressing human factors. Human error plays a role in the vast majority of aviation incidents and accidents. However, the study of human factors in Africa has been very limited so far.  Izaturwanaho’s study on this topic will offer an opportunity to provide significant progress in this respect in Rwanda and beyond,” Mr. Kok says.

"A good understanding of human performance is crucial for all air transport professionals, not just for pilots and air traffic controllers”, Prof Umaru Garba Wali, Dean School of Engineering underscores. 

Engineers that will specialize in aerospace engineering at the University of Rwanda or in aviation maintenance at other Rwandan educational institutions need human factors skills to help improve aviation safety, he added.